Bulgaria's Pamporovo Boasts 10%Tourism Growth Despite Snowless Winter

Despite the snowless winter, Bulgaria's Pamporovoski resort registered a 10% growth in the number of tourists at the end of the season, according to data of Pamporovo AD.

Marian Belyakov, CEO of Pamporovo AD, explained in an interview for the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA) that the resort had registered yet another successful winter season.

He said that the 2013-2014 ski season, which had lasted from the beginning of December to Easter, had indicated that the artificial snow system, which was being expanded on an annual basis, was turning into the most important investment for the resort.

Belyakov made clear that a tangible increase in tourist arrivals from neighboring countries like Turkey, Greece, Serbia, Macedonia and Romania had been registered.

He claimed that around ¼ of the foreign tourists in the resort this winter had arrived from Balkan countries.

Belyakov went on to say that the number of Turkish tourists had gone up by over 300% in the past 3 years, adding that the arrivals were becoming increasingly year-round.

The CEO of Pamporovo AD noted that the opening of the Makaza border crossing point had contributed to an increase in the number Greek tourists.

He also said that tourist groups from the United Kingdom and Ireland accounted for around 50% of the organized international arrivals in Pamporovo in winter.

Belyakov, as cited by investor.bg, suggested that the number of UK arrivals was expected to increase in the next winter season due to the restored charter flights from the UK to Plovdiv Airport.

He argued that the events in Ukraine had not affected tourist flows from Russia and Ukraine, adding that they had accounted for a 26% share of organized international arrivals in the past winter season.

Belyakov pointed out that the participation of Pamporovo AD in the tourism expo in Kiev in the autumn of 2013 had brought contracts with new partners in Ukraine and it was logical to expect an increase in tourist arrivals.

He said that there had also been an increase in the number of tourist groups from Denmark and the Netherlands.

The CEO of Pamporovo AD noted that the extension of the winter season into April had fetched revenues mostly from Bulgarian skiers.